The United States hit Venezuela with a large-scale strike early Saturday and said President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country after months of stepped-up pressure by Washington an extraordinary nighttime operation announced by President Donald Trump on social media hours after the attack.

Multiple explosions rang out, and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas, the capital, as Maduro`s government immediately accused the US of attacking civilian and military installations. The Venezuelan government called it an imperialist attack and urged citizens to take to the streets.